My book challenge 2013...

This challenge is going to be hard. For many years I read a book a year, but last years have been quite challenging in my work. Currently I am studying and I have to read a lot of portions here and there, and not quite finish that many books. Hoping to graduate this June and be able to start reading "normally."Will need any help that I can get myself disciplined - that's why I'm posting this in the first place. I'm also writing my first book at the same time...

edit. in addition to having graduated, I just began PhD studies. We'll see after few months how the reading goes.

I mostly read theology related stuff, but love to clear my brains every now and then with Robert Ludlum etc...

I'm guilty of reading several books at the time, and some of them get buried under the pile by my bed... So, these are to books I'm currently reading or beginning to read that I intend to finish this year:
- Tolkien: Return of the King (read last year the Hobbit, Fellowship of the Ring and Two Towers) 40%
- Morris, Leon: The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross 15%
- Wright, N.T.: Mark for Everyone 5%
- Walton, John H.: Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament 50%
- Young, William P.: Crossroads 60%

Current course books:
- Grudem, Wayne: Are Miraculous Gifts for Today 80%
- Grudem, Wayne: Systematic Theology - I'm obliged to read only parts of it, but why not read it completely? 10%
- Marshall, I. Howard: New Testament Theology 50%
- Driscoll & Breshears: Vintage Church
- Jim Van Yperen: Making Peace: A Guide to Overcoming Church Conflict
- Piper, John: Justification 80%
- Beilby & Eddy (eds.): Justification: Five Views 25%
- Kincaid's Teaching Aids 50%

The books finished this far in 2013 (in categories because I want to motivate myself to read more broadly):
Count: 21/75

Bible, Introduction & Methodology
1) Lubeck, Ray: Read the Bible for a Change
19) Origen: On First Principles

Bible, Old Testament
2) Sailhamer, John: The Meaning of the Pentateuch
7) Scheetz, Jordan: The Concept of Canonical Intertextuality and the Book of Daniel
20) Parry & Tov: Additional Genres and Unclassified Texts (Dead Sea Scrolls Reader)

Bible, New Testament
9) Wright, N.T.: Justification: God's Plan and Paul's Vision

Practical Theology
3) Frangipane, Francis: The Three Battlegrounds
6) Gene Getz: Sharpening the focus of the Church

Discipleship, Devotion...
12) Bonhoeffer, Dietrich: Life Together

Biography
5) Pollock, John: Moody: A biographical portrait of the pacesetter in modern mass evangelism

Leadership
4) Drucker, Peter F.: The Effective Executive

Education/Training
8) Carlson, Gregory: Understanding Teaching

Church
10) Payne, J.D.: Missional House Churches
11) Zdero, Rad: The Global House Church Movement

Fiction
13) Grisham, John: The Appeal
14) Hunter, Stephen: I, Sniper
15) Hunter, Stephen: Night of Thunder
17) Mariani, Scott: The Sacret Sword
18) Eric Van Lustbader: The Bourne Sanction

Fantasy
16) Martin, George R.R.: A Game of Thrones
21) C.S. Lewis: The Magician's Nephew

Welcome! Interesting selections. I'm hoping to hear your thoughts on the theological works.

I just finished Pollock's biography on Moody. It wasn't the best biography I have read, but the most touching for sure. I had to wake up my wife to tell her that Moody died. She asked when was this. I answered: In 1899. So sad... He was such a genuine person - quite unpolished but a real character with a huge influence. I am not sure why Pollock ended the book with Moody's death - I think Moody was more influential after his death that during his life.

Drucker's Effective Executive was inspiring, but I realized that now that I'm not in a position of leadership the book is not probably most helpful for me. I made a mental note to read it again once I'm back working. Two big minuses were the thorough American perspective and I did not see the last part of the book (about 30-40 pages) as high quality as the beginning of the book.

Gene Getz: Sharpening the focus of the Church seems to be a basic course book on Church development/growth/etc. While the biblical principles do not change, there is new discussion about some topics. And of course if one does not share Getz's baptist/house church/plural elder views the book might be frustrating for him at points. Written in 80s - before postmodernism - I think our professor should renew his required biography. However, I'll be getting own copy of this book one day in my library.

After reading Sailhamer's The Meaning of the Pentateuch I said it was to best book I have ever read, I cannot believe that I am saying something along those lines just some weeks after! The reason? Wright, N.T.'s: Justification: God's Plan and Paul's Vision.

I have read som of the controversy, and understand it partly because Wright has redefined significant theological language. However, I think part of what Wright is suggesting is right, and I was surprised that I had arrived to similar conclusions based on Sailhamer and my own study on Ephesians. I believe the problem is largely due to the gap between systematic theology and biblical theology, which saddens me. Also Wright's confusing terminology certainly is one reason why the conversation does not meet.

I'm not swallowing everything Wright suggests, but nevertherless, I think the end result is the same: it is not only about personal salvation, it is about God's covenant with mankind, about new Creation through Jesus Christ. However, the covenantal nomism and new interepretation about the works-of-the-law seems problematic.

Ps. I really loved the way how Wright incorporated the Spirit in his theology!

Payne, J.D.: Missional House Churches was quite easy to read. I have not understood the house churches for several reasons, and Payne lists all of them as the key challenges. First of all, he does not speak about traditional house churches that tend to be inward focusing. He speaks about missional communities. They have an outward focus. Payne's book is helpful also to ones operating within the institutional churches because it offers encouraging for evangelism and meaningful relationships, and also helps to respect different approaches.

Zdero, Rad: The Global House Church Movement - the book was almost the opposite in its tone to the previous house church book that I read (Payne, Missional House Churches). Zdero accepts some challenges of the House Church movement, but sees it as an apostolic "form and function" that are inseparable. Obviously he draws a line somewhere because he says it would be silly to walk around in sandals and robes.

Zdero's disgust to traditional churches is obvious from page 9: "simply attending a conventional local church on Sunday mornings was absolutely unnecessary as long as I was actively participating in some form of authentic Christian community."

Zdero speaks about apostolic ministry of planting house churches as a revolution that God is doing - and everything in the Bible and Church history seems to be supporting his case. Smells too much like proof-texting...

Some of his claims are just poor exegesis (house-to-house patterns), and some are just obvious contradictions (first he says that larger meetings are only for evangelism, later he says that they are needed for the sake of unity and "experience of being a Christian."

Stephen Hunter's Bob Lee Swagger -series is very entertaining! I like the old limping man, though I loved Matt Damon in that Sniper movie. Too bad there are only three items in our local library from Hunter. BTW - I, Sniper was an excellent read!

Mariani, Scott: The Sacret Sword was advertised as being somewhat similar to DaVinci code. Until halfway of the book I did not see the connection, but somehow enjoyed the easy read. However, after the plot was revealed (no spoiler alerts here), I could see the connection with Dan Brown, but Mariani is in different league. In addition to that, the book never came to a closure since Mariani never came back to the lead character's relationship with two other people (no spoils here either).

Okay, hands down, C.S. Lewis's The Magician's Nephew is one of the most brilliant books I've ever read! I have discarded the series as stupid children's books for years now, and boy do I feel ashamed! Lewis is a literary genius, and I cried on several occasions while reading it because of his ability to describe beauty with plain words.